On An Owls Wings
by The Cat's Paw
Summary: After an accident in a rogue nin's base, Sakura finds herself flung back into the past. Can she find her way home? And if she can't, will she be able to preserve the timeline, or will she be tempted to change things. MinaSaku main, some MinaKush. Was M, now T. Just because.
1. Chapter 1

**So… I've found a new Sakura pairing to like. ;) Even though I've no idea why, I just randomly clicked on a MinaSaku fic and started reading. Now I ship it. As a crack pairing only, though.**

 **Anyway, this is my attempt at the pairing.**

 **Disclaimer that I don't own, and enjoy! :)**

 _ **On An Owl's Wings**_

 **Chapter One**

The mission had been simple, if highly ranked. Track down the nukenin, follow him to his hidden base, kill or capture him, then raid the base for everything she could find. Tracking and following had been a success, killing him had been necessary once she realised that there was no way he was surrendering to her alive. But searching the base proved to be one _heck_ of a stumbling block.

Why? Because the paranoid bastard had traps _everywhere_ , that's why.

Now, Haruno Sakura was floating. Floating somewhere in her consciousness, somewhere that had her cut off from awareness of her surroundings. She knew she was injured, likely bleeding out. But she also knew that she'd managed to start the healing process right before she'd passed out. And thanks to her training with her shishou, her body would have continued to heal without the need for her to be awake.

All she could do now was wait, wait for her body to heal enough to trigger the waking process, so that she could drag her sorry ass back to the village.

As her unconscious mind floated in and out of cognisance, Sakura eventually became aware of the fact that she was floating. Her physical body, that is. Was she in a body of water? But how? There'd been nothing in the area of the base. As well as floating, her shoulder kept hitting something soft and pliable. Mud, perhaps? Whatever it was, she was stuck this way until she woke up.

Three years after the end of the Fourth Shinobi war, and things were going really well with the five Great Nations. Treaties and alliances were _actually_ being upheld for a change, which was no small miracle where Kumo and Iwa were concerned. There was still a lot of work for ninja to do, because there were still nukenin, as well as others who wanted to take advantage of certain gaps in power. That was why Sakura had been out here, hunting down nukenin.

At twenty years old, Sakura was a member of ANBU. She had joined under the condition that she was only staying a year, and only had a few more months or so to go. Her shishou hadn't been happy about it, but she'd already passed the hat on to Kaka-sensei, and _he_ had approved it. With the one year stipend, of course.

Something poked at her suddenly. No seriously, she was _literally_ poked.

"Stop poking her!" she heard someone exclaim.

"How else are we supposed to tell if she's dead or not?" a whiny voice asked.

"Idiot," an _incredibly_ vaguely familiar voice said. "That's not how you check if someone's dead. Did you sleep through that bit in the Academy?"

"Shut up you baka!" the whiny voice yelled, losing the whine and turning angry.

"Both of you back off," the first voice, that Sakura realised was female, said. "Do something useful and go get sensei, alright?"

Sakura heard two sighs, one long-suffering, the other frustrated, then two small hands were checking her vitals. Her brain was still quite clouded over, but she could sense that she was waking up, and it seemed the person checking on her could as well. There was a kind of 'swoosh' and Sakura sensed that someone else had arrived.

"How's she doing, Rin?" the newcomer, who sounded like an adult unlike the other three, asked.

"She's heavily injured, but her chakra is already healing her, so I don't actually need to do anything," the girl Rin said. "And she's waking up, too. She should be conscious any moment now."

"An owl mask," the newcomer, whom Sakura guessed was the jounin sensei of the other three (hey, if she's wrong, she's wrong) said thoughtfully. "And yet, as far as I know, there's currently no-one assigned the _fukurou_ alias."

"How do you know that, sensei?" the girl asked.

"Sorry, Rin, but I can't tell you that."

A moment later, Sakura felt arms reach underneath her, and she was lifted easily. "We should get her back to the village," Rin's sensei said, just as the other two arrived.

"Wow, sensei, you're fast!" the formerly whiny voice said in awe.

There was a scoff, and the other one said, "Of course he is. You hadn't figured that out by now, Obito?"

"What? Of course I did!"

"Didn't sound like it to me."

"Aargh! Just shut it, Bakashi!"

The two continued to argue, but Sakura was currently in shock. _Obito_?! What the hell? And Bakashi… Did he mean _Kakashi_?!

If she wasn't already technically unconscious, Sakura might have been tempted to faint from shock.

"Enough you two," their sensei (the Yondaime, though probably not yet, the logical ( _yet also freaking out_ ) part of her brain surmised) snapped at them. "The three of you make your way back to the village. I'm going to get her to the hospital. Until then, _Rin_ is in charge, so listen to her, alright."

Three voices were abruptly cut off as the sensation of _moving_ rushed through her, and once out the other end, Sakura, who was forcefully jolted awake from the sensation, was flailing in the man's arms, coughing up a little blood, which of course splattered against the inside of her mask.

"Medic!" her companion called, and soon enough, Sakura was laid flat on what was probably a gurney and rolled off to be treated.

Hands were there, healing her, and her mask was removed. A gasp, and Sakura vaguely wondered if it was because of her Yin seal. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw concerned, shocked, and notably _unfamiliar_ faces before her. Soothing chakra flowed within her, accelerating her healing process, and soon enough, all but the most minor injuries were gone.

Another ANBU entered the room then, gave her a once over look, then nodded to one of the medics. Sakura knew what was about to happen and accepted it, even as cool but sharp chakra was shot into the base of her skull, and she was engulfed in darkness.

 **So what did you think? I'm gonna post this simultaneously on AO3, just so you know. Review please!**

 **Btw, _fukurou_ means 'owl'.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Next chapter's ready!**

 **Disclaimer that I don't own and enjoy. ;)**

 **Chapter Two**

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared down at the young woman on the hospital bed before him with a frown on his face. She was something of a conundrum; an ANBU with a mask that had officially been retired several months before, the shinobi who'd worn it had been killed in an enemy attack. His remains had been retrieved, as well as his mask and gear, so there was no chance that someone had stolen it and kept it all this time.

In fact, the mask was still in ANBU headquarters, awaiting a new owner.

He sighed heavily. Yamanaka Inoken would be here soon to use his clan jutsu, which was preferable while the woman was still unconscious. In the meantime, he simply stared at her, contemplating what her presence could possibly mean. _Especially that_ , he thought as his eyes flickered briefly to the rhombus that graced her forehead.

Tsunade… His former student was currently off somewhere, burying herself in saké and gambling, trying to drown out the voices of her grief and despair. Had Tsunade come across this girl, taught her what she knows…? Somehow, he doubted it. And yet the seal sat there, mocking his theories left, right, and centre.

The ANBU watching both the woman and their Kage suddenly made themselves known as there was a small knock at the door. The operative opened it, then allowed Inoken to come in.

"Hokage-sama," the Yamanaka bowed low.

"Yamanaka-san," Hiruzen greeted. "I trust you know why you're here?"

The man's eyes flicked briefly to the unconscious woman. "To check her memories," he surmised. "Though I don't understand why she's here instead of in T&I."

"All in good time, perhaps," Hiruzen told him. "It depends on what you find."

He stepped back, indicating for Inoken to begin. The man stepped forward, placing his hand on the young woman's brow, closing his eyes and concentrating. Watching as the man worked, Hiruzen wondered what he would find in her mind. Was she a spy? A traitor? Had she intended to infiltrate the village to discover their secrets? Was she from Iwa, or Kumo? Perhaps Kiri? The clock on the wall ticked an hour by, until finally, Inoken retracted his hand.

"Well, son?" Hiruzen asked after the man was silent for a long moment.

"I don't know what to say," Inoken said. "It's… It's just so unbelievable. But I double, no, _triple_ checked her memories."

Turning to his Kage, he straightened and said, "Her name is Haruno Sakura, she is a kunoichi of Konohagakure, serving under the Rokudaime Hokage."

Shock. There was no other word for it. The _Rokudaime_!?

"You cannot be serious," the ANBU said, his disbelief clear.

"I am," Inoken confirmed. "Her memories are genuine. No fake memory can stand up under the Yamanaka technique. She is from the future, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen sighed. "How deep did you dig?" he asked.

"As deep as I could without damaging her," Inoken told him. "There's… quite a lot she knows that I believe is of serious concern. Future events… though I'm not sure if… uh… messing with the time line is all that wise, Hokage-sama. This is out of my experience, sir."

It was out of _everyone's_ experience, honestly.

Hiruzen sighed. "So she is indeed one of us, misplaced in time," he mused, then looked keenly at Inoken. "I thank you for your services, Yamanaka-san. I shall call on you again if I feel there's a need. I also believe that I don't need to stress the necessity of keeping this quiet? This information _will not_ be shared with any outside this room without my express permission. Am I understood?"

Inoken nodded, and with his dismissal, bowed and then left.

"What are we going to do about her, Hokage-sama?" the ANBU asked.

"I believe that for the moment, we should call a medic in here to wake her," Hiruzen stated. "It would seem she and I have a lot to discuss."

OoOoO

Minato was making his way through the streets of Konoha, his thoughts on the day's strange happenings.

He and his team had been on their way back to the village from a simple C-ranked mission when they'd found the mysterious ANBU. They were close to the village, so it was a simple matter to focus on the hiraishin seal he'd placed in the hospital. Once he'd left her in the medic's capable hands, he'd followed protocol and immediately reported in to the Hokage about her.

His voiced concern about her mask had Hokage-sama immediately sending an ANBU in to identify her. He had no idea what had happened after that, as he'd been dismissed and told to make sure his team arrived through the gates on time.

There was something off about the woman, circumstances not withstanding. Minato felt that he had excellent instincts, had learned to rely on them as they'd saved his life time and time again. And they were telling him that she was trouble. He also felt…

Minato sighed, pushing away his thoughts. Looking around, he saw that he was near Ichiraku's, and he wondered if Kushina was back from her mission yet. Perhaps a bowl of shoyu ramen with roast pork would make him feel better. As luck would have it, he found Kushina at the ramen stall.

"Minato!" she greeted him. "You're back! When did you arrive?"

"Just a couple of hours ago," he told her. "You?"

"Oh, last night," Kushina said as they both entered the stall.

They both ordered, Minato one bowl, Kushina her usual minimum of three. "Are you paying?" she asked. "You still owe me from that bet you lost."

"Uh… Sure," Minato agreed, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of his head. "So, since I'm paying, is this like a date?"

Kushina regarded him thoughtfully. "Hm," she mused, then said mysteriously, "I'll let you know."

They sat there, talking and eating awhile, then as they were getting up and leaving, Obito and Rin came along.

"Sensei!" Rin greeted him. "And Kushina-san! You're back from your mission too?"

"Obito-kun, Rin-chan," Kushina greeted them, pinching Obito's cheeks.

"Ow!" the Uchiha complained, pulling away and half-heartedly glaring as Rin laughed and Minato tried to hide his own chuckle. "Sensei, we wanted to know what happened with that woman!"

"What woman?" Kushina asked, sliding her gaze over to Minato and eyeing him off.

"Eh-heh, no one in particular," he told her sheepishly.

"We found an ANBU on our way back from our mission," Rin said, clearing the air. "Sensei took her straight to the village while Kakashi-kun, Obito and I followed."

"Sensei scooped her up and took off with her!" Obito said, then turned to the man in question. "Well, sensei? What happened?"

Kushina sighed and spoke before Minato could. "Since she's ANBU, there's nothing anyone will tell you," she said, then ruffled their hair in an affectionate gesture. "Don't worry kiddos, I'm sure she's fine! Those ANBU are made of strong stuff, you know."

"Alright then," Rin said, then grabbed Obito and started dragging him away. "Enjoy your date with Kushina-san, sensei!"

Minato glanced at Kushina expectantly. "Still haven't decided," she told him, then grabbed _his_ arm and led him along the street in the opposite direction.

 **So what did you think? Reviews are appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A new chapter! :)**

 **So I've got an irritated throat, and I all can do is take strepsils and gargle warm salt water. :( I _hate_ gargling, it makes me wanna puke!**

 **Anyway, disclaimer and enjoy! :)**

 **Chapter Three**

The heady smell of bleach and sanitiser woke her, and after all those years working in the hospital, Sakura immediately recognised that that was where she was. The cool feel of chakra worked through her, and she realised that someone was waking her from an induced coma. She gasped and her eyes flew open as she woke, shooting up into a seated position, gasping for air as her eyes watered.

She really _hated_ waking from chakra induced comas.

As she struggled to regain her breath, she heard people talking next to her, and glanced over to see the _Sandaime_ talking with a medic, who then left. _What the hell_!? Memories rushed back then, and she fell back onto the bed. How was she in the past? Was she _really_ in the past, or was this some sort of elaborate genjutsu? As discreetly as possible, she tried channelling her chakra to disrupt it, without success, and apparently not as discreetly as she thought.

"Not a genjutsu, then?" the voice of the Sandaime spoke, and Sakura noted that her memory of his voice seemed to have diminished over time.

Turning her head to him, she replied, "Unfortunately not, Hokage-sama."

He was younger than she remembered, which wasn't surprising, even though he still looked old at this point in his life, too. The look on his face was a mixture of sombre and amused, she remembered _that_ look quite well. An ANBU was standing nearby, and thanks to her time with them, she could tell that, despite their stoic posture, he was studying her, trying to figure her out.

Turning back to the Hokage, Sakura sat up once more and said, "I assume you've already had a Yamanaka look through my mind?"

"Of course, Sakura-san," the Hokage confirmed, his use of her name as proof. "It would seem protocol remains the same, even in the future."

Sakura shrugged. "You know the saying, if it isn't broken, don't fix it," she said. "May I ask what it is you plan to do, sir?"

The Sandaime sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "The best course of action would be to try to find a way to get you home," he said. "Unfortunately, little is known of time travel beyond theories, and I know of no jutsu that could possibly harness it. Do you know how it is that you travelled back here?"

Sakura shook her head. "Unfortunately, there's nothing more we know in the future," she said. "The mission I was on… I was taking out a nukenin with traps all over his base of operations. I failed to noticed one and it literally exploded in my face. Then, I ended up here."

The Hokage sighed once more. "Then I'm afraid it would seem that you are stuck here for the foreseeable future," he said. "Because of that, I think it would be best to put you up in one of the shinobi apartments. How far into the future are you from? Would there be anyone you know here?"

"Oh, um, what year is it?" Sakura asked, continuing when he told her, "I won't be born for… almost four more years. My parents… At this point tou-san's a chuunin stationed out on border patrol, and kaa-san is a merchant's daughter in Tanzaku town. They've already met, though."

The Sandaime nodded. "Very well," he said. "One of the apartments will do. In the meantime, it would be best if you could outline your skill-set. Because of the seal on your forehead, I assume that you're a student of one of my own, Tsunade-hime?"

Sakura's hand flew to her forehead. "Er, I am," she confirmed. "My shishou taught me everything she knows. All of her techniques. I also have some genjutsu training, and kenjutsu as well, which I've picked up in my time in ANBU."

"Very well," the Hokage said, standing from the chair he'd been seated in. "I shall have someone come by soon to take you to one of the apartments. In the meantime, your clothes have been washed and are in the drawer next to the bed. I'm sure you'd like to wash the dye from your hair."

Sakura flushed and put a hand to her head. "My natural hair stands out," she spoke sheepishly. "It makes sense to dye it for ANBU."

"Quite right," the Sarutobi agreed. "Boar here will remain until it's time to leave. I'll see you later, Sakura-san."

He left the room then, leaving Sakura alone with the ANBU.

OoOoO

Two hours later, and Sakura was walking through the streets of Konoha, following a random chuunin. The guy had turned up in her hospital room with a note from the Hokage, and instructions to take her to her new place. The note had been to tell her that the Hokage expected her at T&I the following day for a full debriefing of everything she knows, and she sighed at the impending monotony of repeating facts over and over.

Sakura was freshly washed, with her natural roseate locks sitting damply on her scalp. She was in the standard clothing she'd worn under her ANBU uniform, a short sleeved grey-black shirt, and matching pants. She figured her hair stood out even more against that bland combination. The rest of her belongings were in a bag she carried on her shoulder.

As she walked, she took the time to take in the sights of the village around her. This was the village before Pein had attacked, before everything had been restructured and rebuilt. Even though it had been some years, she still remembered the layout like the back of her hand. Even if it was in a time before she was born. Sure, some of the shops were different, either missing or not yet in operation, but that was beside the point.

In her distraction, she realised that she'd lost her chuunin guide. And with that realisation, she also ran into someone, rather heavily.

"Oof!"

Sakura stumbled back and glanced up to see who she'd run into. Her eyes widened when she saw Namikaze Minato staring down at her. He looked surprised at the sight of her, and she noted there were quite a few sheets of paper floating to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, helping him pick them up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's perfectly fine," he told her, taking the paper off her, though not before she'd snuck a peek at them and seen sealing formulas. "I wasn't either."

They stared at one another a moment, then he asked, "Have we met? You seem familiar somehow."

"Oh! Uh…" She wondered if she should tell him, but then, ANBU weren't supposed to advertise their identity, even if it was _years_ before conscription. "Maybe you've just seen me around?" she suggested.

He glanced up at her pink locks, before saying, "I'm pretty sure I would remember someone with pink hair."

About to answer, they were interrupted when her chuunin guide appeared. "There you are," he said. "What on earth happened?"

Moving her gaze to him, Sakura apologised, "Oh, sorry, I was distracted and lost sight of you. Let's get going then."

She turned back to Minato, bowing. "Sorry again for bumping into you," she said, then followed the chuunin away.

OoOoO

Minato stared after the girl with the oddly hued hair, watching her leave. There was an odd feeling in his gut, one he couldn't identify. He was fascinated by her hair… after all, how many people in the world had _pink_ hair? Vaguely he recalled there was a chuunin with dull pink hair, but wasn't sure there was a connection.

There was something about that girl, and he couldn't deny to himself that he was intrigued. Call it curiosity on account of both her familiarity and unfamiliarity, but he found himself hoping that he would run into her again, if only so that he would solve the mystery of who she was.

 **So what did you think? Review please!**


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